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PH 104: Utilitarianism in the

field of labor management in
the Philippines
Labor
“physical and mental effort used in [the] creation of
goods and services”
Livelihood Sustainability
1 Permanent employment

2 optimum fixed wage

Livelihood Sustainability
1 Permanent employment

2 optimum fixed wage

Moral Issues that Exist in the Field
1
Endo / contractualization
2 Abusive Behavior
3
Company Integrity
Issues Aligned:
1
NutriAsia
2 Ateneo De Manila sexual harassment issues
3
Google Walkout
Issues Aligned:
1
NutriAsia
2 Ateneo De Manila sexual harassment issues
3
Google Walkout
NutriAsia:
Contractualization
temporary hire of workers

Endo-- end of contract in the

Philippines.

practiced in order to
maintain high revenues
NutriAsia:
Contractualization
of the 1,400 workers the
company employs
100 are employed
everyone else is handled by a
total of
6 subcontracting agencies
Issues Aligned:
1
NutriAsia
2 Ateneo De Manila sexual harassment issues
3
Google Walkout
Ateneo De Manila sexual
harassment issues

abusive behavior exhibited and

exercised by certain people in power

the Ateneo community at large remain

discontent with the aftermath of the
events that transpired.
Issues Aligned:
1
NutriAsia
2 Ateneo De Manila sexual harassment issues
3
Google Walkout
Google Walkout: A Case of Integrity
INTEGRITY- honesty and
righteousness in internal and external
proceedings.

gap between executives and

employees

mishandling of sexual misconduct

cases within the company.
Our Focus: Contractualization in
NutriAsia

For the Nutriasia workers, the

morality of contractualization is clear:
it is unjust and not moral—and a
moral problem they must face every
day.
it concerns a deficiency of morality.
Motivated by greed

Exploitation

Traditional power dynamics

 Utilitarianism on Contractualization

Utilitarianism defined: the moral contractualization is wrong

value of an act is determined by
its causing the greatest
happiness for the greatest
number of people.
because it does not benefit nor
bring happiness to the greatest
number of people.
Against the telos of labor: pain
and a loss of sustainable
livelihood
On the Side of NutriAsia:
Pro-employment vs. Permanent employment

Nutriasia: contractualization is actually morally good because

it seeks to address the greatest happiness of the greatest
number of people possible

Bentham: One’s pleasure is not more important than

another's—it's not the who that matters but the how many
 NUTRIASIA WORKERS

Happiness
CIRCUMSTANCE PLEASURE PAIN

Calculator
Intensity 1 6

Duration 1 6

Certainty / Uncertainty 1 6

Propinquity / Remoteness 1 6

Fecundity 1 6

Purity 2 6

Extent 3 6

TOTAL 10 48
 NUTRIASIA

Happiness CIRCUMSTANCE PLEASURE PAIN

Calculator Intensity 6 1

Duration 6 1

Certainty / Uncertainty 4 3

Propinquity / Remoteness 6 1

Fecundity 4 3

Purity 4 3

Extent 5 3

TOTAL 35 15
 ● the happiness calculator explains why Nutriasia
is pro-contractualization.
Happiness : Pleasure > Pain

Calculator: ● the calculation show why the workers are

Results against contractualization
: Pain > Pleasure
NUTRIASIA

PLEASURE PAIN
● Utilitarianism
TOTAL 35 15
the pain of the workers is greater than the pleasure
of Nutriasia. Instead of the greatest happiness of the
NUTRIASIA WORKERS
greatest number of people, what results is the
PLEASURE PAIN
greatest unhappiness of the greatest number of
TOTAL 10 48
people.
 A wider view: Kant’s Foundations
of the Categorical Imperative

● principle of humanity as end-in-itself

: one must always act according to the maxim that

humanity is an end in itself and not merely a means

● Contractualization is a moral issue

A Long-Term View:
The Triple Bottom
Line
● A movement towards sustainability
in the private sector
● integrating the greater need of the
people and the planet towards
gaining profit
Thank you.